1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to forms for supporting garments, and more specifically to forms for holding shirts flat while applying letters or illustrations.
2. Description of the Related Art
For some time now, lettered and illustrated clothing has been in vogue. Whether rendered with ink, paint, iron-on or other fusible decalcomanias, quality results demand that the clothing's fabric be held flat and slightly taut during application.
The simplest method of keeping a shirt flat and taut is to wrap it over a hard-surfaced, rectangular board and then to lay the board on a flat surface to keep the shirt in place while applying letters or illustrations. When using such media as paint and ink which are likely to soak through fabric, the board may be slipped inside the shirt to prevent damage to its second layer. These methods are unstable in that the shirt may wrinkle or shift during application, and it is difficult to determine whether the lettering or illustration is properly centered until application is complete. Despite these drawbacks, amateurs and commercial operations alike continue to use this approach.
Sometimes, after a shirt is wrapped around a board, spring-biased clips are applied to the board's edges to keep the shirt in place more securely. However, once bound in place, most conventional clips have half their hardware projecting below the surface of the board. This makes it awkward to lay the board down for work on a flat surface. For example, the board may rock unstably; and, if one leans on the board, the downward pressure may release the clips. Further, clip hardware projecting outward from the edges of the board makes it difficult to stand the board upright upon its clipped edges. Therefore, work upon an easel, or the like, may be hindered.
A cardboard form in the exact, angular shape of a T-shirt has also been used for shirt lettering and illustrating. However, the task of getting this form properly situated inside a shirt is so awkward and time-consuming as to make its use by anyone other than an amateur inefficient. Further, unless dimensioned for each shirt size, small shirts must be stretched to fit the form and large shirts must be taped or clipped in place to be held flat. And, cardboard lacks the rigidity needed in a form intended for repeated use. Finally, cardboard is less desireable for use with a hot iron than more substantial materials.
Some commercial operations, particularly silk-screeners, spread a shirt flat and then drop a frame over it, bordering the area where the application is to be made. This is more or less effective in avoiding wrinkles and preventing shifting, however such equipment may be somewhat more complicated, fragile and expensive than desired. And, in addition, a frame may make it a little more difficult to center the application precisely on the shirt.
For iron fusible transfers, and the like, centering the application on a shirt by hand is particularly difficult; a conventional ironing board permits approximate placement, at best. And, the methods discussed above are not particularly adapted to ironing.
Most importantly, no presently available apparatus addresses the specific needs of those artists who create original works on shirts, and those working in hybrid media such as with iron fusible transfers along with which paint or ink are applied with air brushes, bristle brushes or other instruments. Here, it is desirable that the shirt remain on a single stable form throughout the operation; in fact, this is essential for best results. Further, such a form with its bound shirt should be equally stable whether placed flat upon a table, upon the artist's lap or upon an easel for upright work.
Thus, a need exists for a shirt form that is simple and inexpensive, yet effective in preventing wrinkles and shifting during application. It would be particularly suited to the needs of the shirt artist doing some part of the work in freehand producing original, and semi original works. The ideal form would also permit accurate placement of the application on the center of the shirt. And, if possible, a broad range of sizes should be accommodated by a single form.